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The festive season is here and with it, you are likely to make several purchases from e-commerce platforms, be it for yourself or for your friends and family. Choosing the right credit card for <keyword id="19957108" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="online-shopping" source="keywords">online shopping</keyword> can make a significant difference in how much you save and earn from your purchases. <keyword id="19953671" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="credit-cards" source="keywords">Credit cards</keyword> not only allow you to easily get products on credit, they can also make them cheaper thanks to cashback and reward points. You also get access to airport lounges, railway lounges, dining offers and more. In this post, we look at some of the <keyword id="23600028" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="best-credit-cards-for-online-shopping" source="Orion">best credit cards for online shopping</keyword> in India. <h2><keyword id="3294523" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="best-credit-cards" source="Orion">Best credit cards</keyword> for online shopping in India</h2><h3><keyword id="23600026" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon-Pay-ICICI" source="keywords">Amazon Pay ICICI</keyword> credit card</h3> <div type="image" title="Amazon Pay ICICI credit card" msid="114354421" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Amazon Pay ICICI credit card&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The Amazon Pay ICICI Credit card is among the most popular co-branded credit cards, offered by ICICI Bank in partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon India. It’s great for those who regularly shop on Amazon, as it offers a 5% cashback on all purchases on the platform. Key Features: <ul><li>Cashback: Up to 5% cashback on Amazon purchases, and 2% cashback on other online shopping.</li><li>Additional cashback: Earn 2% cashback at partner stores, and 1% on all other spends.</li><li>No annual fee: Lifetime free credit card.</li><li>Fuel surcharge waiver: 1% fuel surcharge waiver across all petrol pumps.</li></ul> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="113123752" title="Here are the benefits you get with India’s most expensive credit card with a ₹3.54 lakh annual fee" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> <h3>HDFC Millenia credit card</h3> <div type="image" title="HDFC Millenia credit card" msid="114354433" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;HDFC Millenia credit card&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The HDFC Millenia is a popular credit card from HDFC Bank and is among the most sought-after cards from the bank. This card offers good rewards on Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra and other online platforms. It is also good for utility bills and fuel spending. Key Features: <ul><li>Cashback: 5% cashback on Amazon, BookMyShow, Swiggy, Flipkart, Myntra and more. It offers 1% cashback on all other spends.</li><li>Lounge access: 1 complimentary lounge access per quarter.</li><li>Fuel surcharge waiver: 1% fuel surcharge waiver across all petrol pumps.</li></ul><h3>Flipkart Axis Bank credit card</h3> <div type="image" title="Flipkart Axis Bank credit card" msid="114354438" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Flipkart Axis Bank credit card&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> With Amazon partnering with ICICI Bank, Flipkart joined the race and partnered with Axis Bank to launch the Flipkart Axis Bank credit card. The card offers 5% cashback on Flipkart and Cleartrip. Key Features: <ul><li>Cashback: 5% cashback on Flipkart and Cleartrip, 4% on preferred partners and 1% on other spends. </li><li>Lounge access: 4 complimentary lounge access per year on spending ₹50,000 during the previous 3 months.</li><li>Fuel surcharge waiver: 1% fuel surcharge waiver across all petrol pumps.</li></ul> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="98090488" title="How to use credit card to make UPI payments" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> <h3>Cashback SBI Card</h3> <div type="image" title="Cashback SBI credit card" msid="114354449" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Cashback SBI credit card&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The Cashback SBI Card has quickly emerged as one of the most popular cards from the state-owned bank, beating its SimplyClick card, which was one of the preferred cards for online spending. The USP of this card is that it offers a flat 5% cashback on all online spending. Key Features: <ul><li>Cashback: 5% cashback on all online spends, without any merchant restrictions. It also offers 1% cashback on all offline transactions.</li><li>Fuel surcharge waiver: 1% fuel surcharge waiver across all petrol pumps.</li><li>Annual fee waiver: Fee waiver on spending ₹2 lakh in the preceding year.</li></ul><h3><keyword id="23600027" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Axis-Bank-Ace" source="keywords">Axis Bank Ace</keyword> credit card</h3> <div type="image" title="Axis Bank Ace credit card" msid="114354458" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Axis Bank Ace credit card&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The Axis Bank Ace credit card is another excellent card, especially for those looking for a card for bill payments, utility spending and more. It is also one of the few credit cards that can be added to Google Pay. Key Features: <ul><li>Cashback: 5% cashback on all bill payments, mobile recharges and DTH recharges via Google Pay. It also offers 4% Swiggy, Zomato and Ola.</li><li>Lounge access: 4 complimentary lounge access per year on spending ₹50,000 during the previous 3 months.</li><li>Fuel surcharge waiver: 1% fuel surcharge waiver across all petrol pumps.</li></ul> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="102133212" title="HDFC Bank and Swiggy launch co-branded credit card – cashback, offers and more" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> <h3>American Express SmartEarn credit card</h3> <div type="image" title="American Express SmartEarn credit card" msid="114354467" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;American Express SmartEarn credit card&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> While it is more challenging to get American Express cards than other cards on the list, getting your hands on the SmartEarn credit card is relatively easy compared to other cards offered by American Express. Key Features: <ul><li>Reward points: 10X membership reward points on Flipkart, Zomato, Myntra, Uber, Ajio and more. 5X membership reward points on every ₹50 spent on Amazon.</li><li>Monthly spends: Earn 500 membership reward points on spending ₹2,500 in a month on 10X reward point partners.</li><li>Annual fee waiver: Fee waiver on spending ₹40,000 in the preceding year.</li></ul>SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/here-are-the-benefits-you-get-with-indias-most-expensive-credit-card-with-a-3-54-lakh-annual-fee/articleshow/113123752.cms">Here are the benefits you get with India’s most expensive credit card with a ₹3.54 lakh annual fee</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/bigger-they-are-harder-they-fall-a-look-at-how-the-countrys-biggest-ipos-have-fared/articleshow/114307997.cms">Bigger they are, harder they fall – A look at how the country’s biggest IPOs have fared</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/hdfc-bank-and-swiggy-launch-co-branded-credit-card-to-offer-discount-to-customers/articleshow/102133212.cms">HDFC Bank and Swiggy launch co-branded credit card – cashback, offers and more</a>

Best credit cards for online shopping this festive season

The Indian <keyword id="22196321" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="credit-card-industry" source="keywords">credit card industry</keyword> is struggling to grow, as new issues slow down on a year-on-year (YoY) basis. Not only has the growth i.e. issuance of new credit cards slowed down, but lenders are also becoming increasingly cautious of the asset qualities, a recent report by Nomura showed. From 19% in July 2024, the growth in the <keyword id="6368202" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="credit-card" source="Orion">credit card</keyword> spendings came down to 13% in August 2024. The year-to-date (YTD) growth has also significantly declined in FY25, currently standing at 17%, markedly down from 28% in FY24. For the fifth consecutive month, the number of new credit cards added to the system remained well below the 1-million, or 10 lakh mark. Around 9.2 lakh credit cards were added during the month, a slight uptick from the 7.55 lakh cards that came into the system In July 2024. However, there is growth in this space nevertheless, with about 10.55 crore active credit cards at present, marking a 15.6% YoY increase. Even the annualised spend per card, or the average amount spent via an annual card during an year grew 1% YoY to Rs 1.87 lakh. But this was far less than the 7% growth annual spends via one credit card saw in FY24. Meanwhile, what continues to burgeon consistently is the outstanding amount on these credit cards, which ballooned to Rs 2.7 lakh crore in June 2024, up from Rs 2.6 lakh crore in March 2024, and around Rs 2 lakh crore in the year ago period. To put this in perspective, pre-pandemic, the total outstanding amount stood at Rs 87,686 crore, which marks a 24% CAGR in this amount, in just a span of 5 years. <h2>Large drops, slowdown to sustain</h2>Even the monthly expenditure per card dropped 2% YoY to Rs 16,000 in August, 2024. Subsequently, the transaction volume via credit cards also dipped to 1.6% in August, along with the total amount of <keyword id="21084888" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="credit-card-spending" source="keywords">credit card spending</keyword>, which fell to Rs 1.69 lakh crore in August, from Rs 1.73 lakh crore in July. Also, there has been a hefty cutdown in provisions made for credit card reward points, which reflects in the quantum of credit card benefits that have been mowed out by companies of late, making credit cards far less lucrative than before. <h2>HDFC takes lead </h2>During August 2024, <keyword id="19895995" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="HDFC-Bank" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="HDFC Bank" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="HDFC Bank">HDFC bank</keyword> added a total of 2.41 lakh credit cards, taking its total tally of active credit cards to 2.19 crore. <keyword id="19900482" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICICI-Bank" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="ICICI Bank" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="ICICI Bank">ICICI Bank</keyword> came a second distant, adding 1.45 lakh credit cards during the month, which means that the second-largest credit card issuer now holds over 1.75 crore active credit cards. Axis Bank and SBI Cards also added 1.27 lakh and 1.1 lakh cards, respectively to their repertoire during the month, while the growth numbers at Kotak Mahindra Bank remained largely flat, stagnating the bank's total card tally at 54.13 lakh. This was due to the ongoing ban on the bank due to its weak IT infrastructural issues imposed by RBI in April 2024. If anything, the bank's number of credit cards declined by 61,191 during the month. Even as the festive season approaches, experts think that it is unlikely to make a major dent in credit card spendings, which are expected to see a further slowdown in the quarters to come.

Credit card growth experiencing a slowdown, as borrowers struggle to pay back loans

Are you an avid credit card user? Are you up to speed with all the changes that have come into effect starting today, which is all set to impact your credit card usage, and your pocket. Here's a quick snapshot of all the changes that you should be well aware of: <h2><keyword id="19900482" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICICI-Bank" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="ICICI Bank" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="ICICI Bank">ICICI Bank</keyword> </h2>Starting today, ICICI bank has done away with fees for many services, which include request for a charge slip, which was earlier chargeable at Rs 100/slip and cash and cheque pick up, which also carried a fee of Rs 100 earlier. Earlier, for outstation cheque processing and duplicate bank statement (for three months), a fee of Rs 100 was payable. Now, all those charges have been waived. However, going ahead, you'll have to dish out Rs 200 instead of Rs 100, if you wish to get your credit card replaced. <h2><keyword id="19952948" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Axis-Bank" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Axis Bank" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Axis Bank">Axis Bank</keyword></h2>If you hold a <keyword id="19941660" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Citibank" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Citibank" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Citibank">Citibank</keyword> credit card, this is for you. The migration of all Citibank <keyword id="19953671" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="credit-cards" source="keywords">credit cards</keyword> to Axis bank will be complete by 15th July, 2024. Post that, you will receive new credit cards from Axis bank .However, until then, your existing Citibank cards will continue to work just fine. All your unredeemed points will be converted into EDGE miles. After migration, they will have an expiration period of 3 years. Starting today, RBIs new rules mandate that all credit card transactions in the country be processed through <keyword id="20779381" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharat-Bill-Payment-System" source="keywords">Bharat Bill Payment System</keyword> (BBPS). This means that if your bank has not come on board with BBPS, you will not be able to make payment through their credit card on other third-party platforms. Out of 34 banks that can issue credit cards, 12 banks have come onboard the BBPS. These include SBI, <keyword id="19938728" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kotak-mahindra" source="keywords">Kotak Mahindra</keyword>, IndusInd, Federal, HDFC, ICICI and IDFC bank. Indian Overseas bank and <keyword id="45660" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="yes-bank" source="Orion">YES Bank</keyword> are expected to go live soon. <h2>SBI Bank</h2>Starting July 15th, if you hold one of the 22 specified SBI credit cards, you will no longer accrue any reward points while making certain transactions, particularly if they are related to government services. These include Air India SBI Platinum Card, Air India SBI Signature Card, Central SBI Select+ Card, Chennai Metro SBI Card, Etihad Guest SBI Card, Fabindia SBI Card SELECT, IRCTC SBI Card, Mumbai Metro SBI Card and more. <h2>YES Bank </h2>If you hold a YES Bank credit card, the criteria for you to qualify for complimentary lounge access has changed. Starting today, you will have to spend at least Rs 35,000 from your credit card in the previous quarter, in order to be able to get a complimentary access to domestic airport lounges in the next quarter. Earlier, this threshold was set at Rs 10,000. This will impact YES Marquee, YES SELECT, YES Reserv, YES First Preferred, YES Bank ELITE, YES BYOC, and YES Wellness Plus cards. <h2>HDFC Bank</h2>Starting August 1st, if you make rent, or education related payments via platforms like Cred and Paytm, you will have to pay a fee of upto 1% of the transaction, which will be a maximum of Rs 3,000. However, if you make the payment directly through your school or college's website, you will be able to save on this charge. Similarly, on all fuel expenses of over Rs 15,000, a 1% fee will be applied, which can be a maximum of Rs 3,000.

What has changed for your credit cards, starting today?

New Delhi: Nine of the top-10 most valued firms together added Rs 2,01,552.69 crore in market valuation last week, with <keyword id="19951944" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bharti-Airtel" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Bharti Airtel" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Bharti Airtel">Bharti Airtel</keyword> stealing the show, amid bullish investors' sentiment in equities. Last week, the BSE benchmark jumped 1,707.01 points or 2.10 per cent. The 30-share BSE Sensex hit its lifetime high of 83,116.19 on Thursday. Bharti Airtel's valuation jumped Rs 54,282.62 crore to Rs 9,30,490.20 crore, becoming the biggest gainer among the top-10 firms. The market capitalisation (mcap) of <keyword id="19900482" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICICI-Bank" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="ICICI Bank" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="ICICI Bank">ICICI Bank</keyword> surged Rs 29,662.44 crore to Rs 8,80,867.09 crore. <keyword id="19950119" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tata-Consultancy-Services" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Tata Consultancy Services" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Tata Consultancy Services">Tata Consultancy Services</keyword> (TCS) added Rs 23,427.12 crore taking its valuation to Rs 16,36,189.63 crore. The mcap of Hindustan Unilever soared Rs 22,438.6 crore to Rs 6,89,358.33 crore and that of <keyword id="19895995" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="HDFC-Bank" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="HDFC Bank" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="HDFC Bank">HDFC Bank</keyword> zoomed Rs 22,093.99 crore to Rs 12,70,035.77 crore. The market valuation of Infosys climbed Rs 17,480.49 crore to Rs 8,07,299.55 crore and that of ITC rallied Rs 15,194.17 crore to Rs 6,42,531.82 crore. The valuation of <keyword id="19896380" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reliance-Industries" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Reliance Industries" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Reliance Industries">Reliance Industries</keyword> jumped Rs 9,878.19 crore to Rs 19,92,160.61 crore and that of State Bank of India went up by Rs 7,095.07 crore to Rs 7,05,535.20 crore. However, the mcap of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) declined by Rs 3,004.38 crore to Rs 6,54,004.76 crore. Reliance Industries was leading the chart of the top-10 most valued firms followed by TCS, HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, Infosys, State Bank of India, Hindustan Unilever, LIC and ITC.

Mcap of nine of top-10 most valued firms jump Rs 2 lakh crore, Bharti Airtel leads the surge

<keyword id="20599258" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-consumers" source="keywords">Indian consumers</keyword> demonstrated a significant increase in their <keyword id="21084888" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="credit-card-spending" source="keywords">credit card spending</keyword> in July this year, marking a 19% increase compared to the same month last year. According to a report released by <keyword id="19945737" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="SBI-Securities" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="SBI Securities" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="SBI Securities">SBI Securities</keyword>, the total expenditure by credit card users across the country reached an impressive Rs 1.7 trillion. This substantial uptick highlights the growing reliance on credit cards for transactions, reflecting broader economic trends and <keyword id="20740758" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="consumer-confidence" source="keywords">consumer confidence</keyword>. The report also highlighted a considerable increase in <keyword id="21118324" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="transaction-volumes" source="keywords">transaction volumes</keyword>, which surged by 39% year-on-year, reaching a total of 38.4 crore transactions in July 2024. This increase in the number of transactions underscores the widespread adoption and usage of credit cards as a preferred <keyword id="20632158" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="payment-method" source="keywords">payment method</keyword> among Indian consumers. "Credit card spending in India increased 19% YoY to Rs 1.7 trillion in Jul'24. The transaction volume during the month was 38.4 crore, up 39% YoY" said the report. The report also noted that among the banks, <keyword id="19895995" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="HDFC-Bank" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="HDFC Bank" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="HDFC Bank">HDFC Bank</keyword> emerged as the leader in terms of transaction volumes, with its credit cards facilitating 9.9 crore transactions during the month. <keyword id="19900482" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICICI-Bank" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="ICICI Bank" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="ICICI Bank">ICICI Bank</keyword> followed closely with 7.1 crore transactions, while SBI secured the third position with 6.3 crore transactions. In terms of transaction value, HDFC Bank again led the way, with a total spend of Rs 44,369 crore through its credit cards in July. ICICI Bank and SBI followed with Rs 34,566 crore and Rs 26,878 crore, respectively. The report said "In Jul'24, transaction volumes was led by cards issued by HDFC Bank (9.9 crore) followed by ICICI Bank (7.1 crore) and SBI (6.3 crore)". Additionally, the <keyword id="22988051" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="average-transaction-value" source="keywords">average transaction value</keyword> (ATV) also saw a marginal increase of 1.4% month-on-month in July 2024. This marks the first increase in ATV in ten months, suggesting a shift in consumer behaviour towards higher-value transactions after a period of stagnation. Overall, these figures reflect the growth of credit card usage in India, driven by increased consumer confidence and the convenience offered by credit card transactions.

Indians credit card spending increases 19% YoY to Rs 1.7 trillion in July 2024

The <keyword id="19895371" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Congress" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Congress">Congress</keyword> party has levied fresh allegations against <keyword id="20914154" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="SEBI-Chairperson" source="keywords">SEBI Chairperson</keyword> <keyword id="19922107" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Madhabi-Puri-Buch" source="keywords">Madhabi Puri Buch</keyword>, calling her a perfect case of the office for profit. This refers to a position that brings some financial gain, or advantage to the office holder, which in this case was Buch's position as a whole-time member of <keyword id="19901201" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="SEBI" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="SEBI" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="SEBI">SEBI</keyword>, and then post 2022, as the regulatory body's chairperson. In a press conference in New Delhi on Monday, Pawan Khera, Chairman, Media and Publicity Department, Congress, charged Buch of receiving regular income from private lender <keyword id="19900482" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICICI-Bank" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="ICICI Bank" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="ICICI Bank">ICICI Bank</keyword> and <keyword id="47860" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICICI-Prudential" source="Orion">ICICI Prudential</keyword>, India's second largest asset management company, all while being the whole-time member and later Chairperson of the capital markets regulatory body. "She (SEBI Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch) between 2017 and 2024 was taking regular income of Rs 16 crore 80 lakhs from ICICI Bank," alleged Pawan Khera, at the press briefing. The congress spokesperson also alleged that Buch received a total of Rs 16.80 crore between 2017-18 to 2023-24, from ICICI Bank, ICICI Prudential, <keyword id="20043663" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ESOPs" source="keywords">ESOPs</keyword>, and <keyword id="19948097" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="TDS" source="keywords">TDS</keyword> on ESOPs. According to the Congress' allegations, in 2017-18 the SEBI chief allegedly received Rs 2.06 crore from ICICI Bank as salary and Rs 7 lakh from ICICI Prudential. In 2018-19, she received Rs 4.71 crore from ICICI Bank, Rs 2.17 lakh from ICICI Prudential. In 2019-20, Rs 1.21 crore from ICICI Bank and Rs 2.17 lakh from ICICI Prudential. In 2020-21, she was alleged of having received Rs 4.64 crore from ICICI Bank and Rs 2.17 lakh ICICI Prudential. In 2021-22, Congress asserted that the salary stopped from ICICI Bank but she continued to receive Rs 2.17 lakh from ICICI Prudential, also same year she received ESOP and TDS on ESOP from ICICI Bank. In 2022-23, she was alleged to have received Rs 4.44 lakh from ICICI Prudential, in addition to ESOP and TDS on ESOP, In 2023-24, she was alleged to have received Rs 2.17 from ICICI Prudential. The Congress further alleges that during this period, Buch also drew a salary from SEBI as a whole-time member and later as the Chairperson. Khera further added that several probes on ICICI Bank were being adjudicated during this period when Madhabi Puri Buch was receiving income from the group. He also cited unnamed reports to claim that the SEBI chief has relaxed norms for the ICICI Bank. "The person sitting at the top of the regulator is taking salaries from another entity," Khera alleged, adding it was a perfect case of "office for profit". "So we want to know why you were taking your salary from ICICI despite being a full-time member of SEBI?," Khera asked what service she as the SEBI Chairperson provided the bank when she was part of SEBI. "This is a direct violation of Section 54 of SEBI. Therefore, if Madhabi Puri Buch has any shame, she should resign from her post," Khera added. The SEBI Chief is yet to react to the charges made by the Congress in Monday's news conference. Madhabi Puri Buch was a whole-time member of SEBI from April 5, 2017 to October 4, 2021. Then on March 2, 2022, Madhabi Puri Buch became the Chairperson of SEBI. Recently, US-based short seller Hindenburg Research made allegations against her accusing her of conflict of interest. Last month, Hindenburg Research alleged that SEBI Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch and her husband Dhaval Buch had stakes in "both the obscure offshore entities used in the Admoney siphoning scandal." Hindenburg Research said it has made the new allegations based on documents provided by a whistleblower and investigations carried out by other entities. Soon after, the SEBI Chairperson and her husband, in their personal capacity, issued a detailed statement rejecting the allegations. In the joint statement released to the media they said, "In the context of allegations made in the Hindenburg Report dated August 10, 2024, against us, we would like to state that we strongly deny the baseless allegations and insinuations made in the report. The same are devoid of any truth. Our life and finances are an open book. All disclosures as required have already been furnished to SEBI over the years. We have no hesitation in disclosing any and all financial documents, including those that relate to the period when we were strictly private citizens, to any and every authority that may seek them. Further, in the interest of complete transparency, we would be issuing a detailed statement in due course." "It is unfortunate that Hindenburg Research against whom SEBI has taken an Enforcement action and issued a show cause notice has chosen to attempt character assassination in response to the same," the statement from Madhabi Buch and her husband Dhaval Buch read.

Congress alleges SEBI Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch of office for profit

Imagine this. You have a younger sibling you’re mighty envious of. And why not? Unlike you, they seem to enjoy all the freedom and money in the world. They party like there’s no tomorrow, and here you are, stuck in a boring, ultra-disciplined but responsible routine that feels completely devoid of any independence, and mostly, funds. But of late, things are changing. This sibling is in massive trouble and just cannot escape the parent’s wrath anymore. Long story short, the party is over, and it is time to go back home. The rising defaults on this sibling’s part have now begun pulling the entire house down, thereby attracting the regulator’s ire. <h2>The Wild West of microfinance and unsecured loans</h2>It's hard to ignore the issues with microfinance and unsecured loans in India. Many saw them as a small gamble and ignored the rising defaults much like the younger siblings’ tantrums, and now they find themselves in hot waters. The skyrocketing instances of non-payments aren't a micro-issue anymore and are threatening the stability of the entire banking system. In the quarter ended September 30, 2024, 5 of India’s 8 largest private sector <keyword id="19934118" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="banks" source="keywords">banks</keyword> reported a steep rise in their bad loan book, mostly thanks to microfinance loans. Some banks, in a bid to strengthen their fortress against these <keyword id="142154" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="bad-loans" source="Orion">bad loans</keyword>, have significantly upped their provisions. For instance, <keyword id="46717" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="IndusInd-bank" source="Orion">IndusInd Bank</keyword> set aside Rs 525 crore during July and September 2024 to battle the menace of defaults on microfinance loans, which make up about 9% of its total loan book. See, banks rely heavily on their interest income, which they earn from advancing loans. Any loan where the borrower has not paid interest to the bank or defaulted for 90 days or more becomes bad, i.e., an <keyword id="79363" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="npa" source="Orion">NPA</keyword>, or non-performing asset for the bank. And who likes things going bad? Simply put, there has been a steep rise in three areas, much to the dislike of banks and MFIs (micro-finance institutions). But hey, it's mostly their doing! <ol><li>GNPA ratio (gross net performing assets): The quantum of non-performing assets a bank has in proportion to its total assets.</li><li>Provision: The amount banks set aside to take care of such NPAs.</li><li>Slippage ratio: The rate at which good girls go bad, or the speed at which good loans turn into NPAs</li></ol>But how are these plaguing the Indian banking sector? And what does the road ahead look like? We decode it for you. <h2> Microfinance: A not-so-micro-menace</h2>Microfinance loans were initially brought forth for low-income households and individuals, i.e. for those who might not generally have access to traditional ways of credit, like bank loans and more. They don’t require collateral or an asset to be pledged in lieu of the loan, making it a tad bit easier for borrowers. As of June 2024, the amount of outstanding loans in the microfinance industry stood at a staggering Rs 4,20,256 crore. Of this, NBFC-MFIs accounted for 40% and banks made for 33% of these. In 2022, <keyword id="30067" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="RBI" source="Orion">RBI</keyword>, in a bid to inspire some competition in this space, did something radical-they did away with the ceiling on how much interest MFIs could charge their customers. Previously, MFIs could add up to 12% to their cost of acquiring funds to determine the final interest rate chargeable to the consumer. So, assuming that Bank A incurs a 5% cost to acquire funds for further loaning, A could charge up to 17% interest from the end consumer. So, interest rates were in the hands of MFIs, and boy, did they have a gala time with it. Instead of spurring some healthy competition, as RBI expected, MFIs and banks went rogue and all guns blazing, competing for the title of “Who will charge the highest interest?” Recently, RBI banned 4 microfinance institutions (MFIs), namely Asirvad Micro Finance Limited, Arohan Financial Services Limited, DMI Finance Private Limited, and Navi Finserv, from disbursing loans effective October 21, 2024. Why? Because they were charging 14% extra interest over their original cost of funds. To maintain their loan books (and pockets), banks and NBFCs resorted to shady practices like netting off loans, which RBI has now advised MFIs against. Here, lenders allow borrowers to settle a previous outstanding loan by issuing them a new loan! As crazy as it sounds, it helped banks to report less of their total assets as NPAs, since the new credit would cover pending installments of the borrower’s previous loan. Then there was the issue of borrowers overleveraging, i.e. taking multiple loans using different IDs from various lenders and then failing to honor any of them. The consequence? Banks and NBFCs end up with massive NPAs. Data from credit bureaus suggests that over the last quarter, there was a 17.2% rise in the number of borrowers who had 5 or more active loans at the same time. <h2>Growth &gt; Caution</h2>It's an age-old tale unfolding yet again in India’s banking sector- Icarus flew too close to the sun and eventually, fell to its death. Between April and June 2024, NBFCs microfinance portfolio jumped by 2.7%. If you see this in terms of loan sources, microfinance loans issued by banks grew by 11.2% in Q1FY25. But the same portfolio in NBFCs swelled by almost double-23.9%. While most of these loans had an average ticket size between Rs 30,000-50,000, there was a sharp spike in the number of loans that had a ticket size of Rs 80,000 or more. Data suggests that as of March 2024, more than 12% of all microfinance borrowers had over 4 or more active loans. In dating parlance, this is a classic case of borrowers going polyamorous, minus the honesty and transparency. Not the best of situations, you'd agree! <h2>Will banks and NBFCs stand up to this stress?</h2>If their results for Q2FY25 are to be believed, NBFCs are not handling the pressure all that well. Or even slightly well. Only a few banks like Bank of Baroda (BoB), ICICI, and Indian Bank were up for the battle, even witnessing a decline in their loan delinquencies. Some others, like IndusInd Bank, saw their stock dip by a massive 16.2% over the last 5 days. Its slippages in the previous quarter burgeoned from Rs 15.3 billion in Q1FY25 to Rs 17.9 billion in Q2. As a result, the bank pushed a staggeringly high amount of money to create an NPA cushion for itself. While its management has highlighted its preference for secured lending, that was hardly reflected in its actions during the quarter, where growth in unsecured personal loans remained exceptionally high at over 7% on a QoQ basis. Turns out, only 44% of customers in IndusInd Banks’ microfinance loan portfolio were exclusive to it. The rest 47% were, you guessed it right-polyamorous! 27% had borrowed from another lender as well, apart from IndusInd Bank, while 20% were those who had outstanding loans with two other lenders, apart from IndusInd Bank. IndusInd Bank’s credit card segment did not miss the NPA bus and accounted for 7-8% of its GNPAs. Canara Bank’s total slippages during the previous quarter jumped to Rs 11.1 billion, up by 24.7% QoQ, and making up for 3.6% of its total loans. As for Bandhan Bank, its <keyword id="763994" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gross-NPA" source="Orion">gross NPA</keyword> for Q2FY25 inched up on a QoQ basis, up from 4.23% in Q1, to 4.68% in the second quarter. <keyword id="62152" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="IDFC-bank" source="Orion">IDFC Bank</keyword>’s heavy provisioning for its NPAs marred its profits significantly, causing its PAT (profit after tax) to dip by 73% on a YoY basis. Data from ICRA Analytics suggest that the AUM (asset under management) growth in microfinance loans and unsecured (personal and business) loans by the NBFCs will moderate to 10-12% and 19-21%, respectively, in FY2025 compared to 30% and 38%, in FY2024. Says A M Karthik, Senior Vice President &amp; Co-Group Head, Financial Sector Ratings, ICRA, “As bank funds constitute a larger share in the overall funding of NBFCs, a slower credit flow from banks to the NBFCs will compress their AUM growth. The NBFCs in unsecured and digital lending businesses shall face a higher squeeze in funding compared to others, and the unsecured lending space will continue to be a source of stress in the near term.” There has been uninhibited growth in unsecured loans, apart from just the microfinance segment. For instance, Axis Bank’s gross slippages jumped by Rs 4,443 crore, largely thanks to its unsecured business. The same is the case with Yes Bank, which saw 35–40% of its retail slippages emerging from the unsecured loan portfolio. Kotak Mahindra Bank was also quick to follow Yes Bank’s suit, with around 35%-40% of its slippages coming from credit cards. <h2>How is the road ahead?</h2>While RBI has just cracked its whip and served a warning at the moment, experts at Morgan Stanley believe that more changes (read regulatory lashes) are underway. Moreover, with both festive and wedding seasons underway in our country, unsecured lending might pick up momentum, much to the disdain of the calibrated approach banks have been taking towards it so far. But if the situation doesn't improve, RBI will not waste any time in becoming the typical tyrannical Bollywood headmaster who runs his dominion with an iron fist and takes things (and ceiling rates) into their own hands. However, that's a story for another day.

Is the lending party over? The dangerous tango of Indian banks with microfinance and unsecured loans

<div type="image" title="The RBI has cracked the regulatory whip on NBFCs and banks, who&amp;#39;ve been pushing microfinance and unsecured loans aggressively to grow their loan books." agency="ANI" msid="114778648" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The RBI has cracked the regulatory whip on NBFCs and banks, who&amp;#39;ve been pushing microfinance and unsecured loans aggressively to grow their loan books.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Imagine this. You have a younger sibling you’re mighty envious of. And why not? Unlike you, they seem to enjoy all the freedom and money in the world. They party like there’s no tomorrow, and here you are, stuck in a boring, ultra-disciplined but responsible routine that feels completely devoid of any independence, and mostly, funds. But of late, things are changing. This sibling is in massive trouble and just cannot escape the parent’s wrath anymore. Long story short, the party is over, and it is time to go back home. The rising defaults on this sibling’s part have now begun pulling the entire house down, thereby attracting the regulator’s ire. <h2>The Wild West of <keyword id="113684" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="microfinance" source="Orion">microfinance</keyword> and unsecured loans</h2>It's hard to ignore the issues with microfinance and unsecured loans in India. Many saw them as a small gamble and ignored the rising defaults much like the younger siblings’ tantrums, and now they find themselves in hot waters. The skyrocketing instances of non-payments aren't a micro-issue anymore and are threatening the stability of the entire banking system. In the quarter ended September 30, 2024, 5 of India’s 8 largest private sector <keyword id="19934118" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="banks" source="keywords">banks</keyword> reported a steep rise in their bad loan book, mostly thanks to microfinance loans. Some banks, in a bid to strengthen their fortress against these <keyword id="142154" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="bad-loans" source="Orion">bad loans</keyword>, have significantly upped their provisions. For instance, IndusInd Bank set aside Rs 525 crore during July and September 2024 to battle the menace of defaults on microfinance loans, which make up about 9% of its total loan book. See, banks rely heavily on their interest income, which they earn from advancing loans. Any loan where the borrower has not paid interest to the bank or defaulted for 90 days or more becomes bad, i.e. an NPA, or non-performing asset for the bank. And who likes things going bad? Simply put, there has been a steep rise in three areas, much to the dislike of banks and MFIs (micro-finance institutions). But hey, it's mostly their doing! <ol><li>GNPA ratio (gross net performing assets): The quantum of non-performing assets a bank has in proportion to its total assets.</li><li>Provision: The amount banks set aside to take care of such NPAs.</li><li>Slippage ratio: The rate at which good girls go bad, or the speed at which good loans turn into NPAs</li></ol>But how are these plaguing the Indian banking sector? And what does the road ahead look like? We decode it for you. <h2> Microfinance: A not-so-micro-menace</h2>Microfinance loans were initially brought forth for low-income households and individuals i.e. for those who might not generally have access to traditional ways of credit, like bank loans and more. They don’t require collateral or an asset to be pledged in lieu of the loan, making it a tad bit easier for borrowers. As of June 2024, the amount of outstanding loans in the microfinance industry stood at a staggering Rs 4,20,256 crore. Of this, NBFC-MFIs accounted for 40% and banks made for 33% of these. In 2022, RBI, in a bid to inspire some competition in this space, did something radical-they did away with the ceiling on how much interest MFIs could charge their customers. Previously, MFIs could add up to 12% to their cost of acquiring funds to determine the final interest rate chargeable to the consumer. So, assuming that Bank A incurs a 5% cost to acquire funds for further loaning, A could charge up to 17% interest from the end consumer. So, interest rates were in the hands of MFIs, and boy, did they have a gala time with it. Instead of spurring some healthy competition, as RBI expected, MFIs and banks went rogue and all guns blazing, competing for the title of “Who will charge the highest interest?” Recently, RBI banned 4 microfinance institutions (MFIs), namely Asirvad Micro Finance Limited, Arohan Financial Services Limited, DMI Finance Private Limited, and <keyword id="20117932" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="navi-finserv" source="keywords">Navi Finserv</keyword> from disbursing loans effective October 21, 2024. Why? Because they were charging 14% extra interest over their original cost of funds. To maintain their loan books (and pockets), banks and NBFCs resorted to shady practices like netting off loans, which RBI has now advised MFIs against. Here, lenders allow borrowers to settle a previous outstanding loan by issuing them a new loan! As crazy as it sounds, it helped banks to report less of their total assets as NPAs, since the new credit would cover pending instalments of the borrower’s previous loan. Then there was the issue of borrowers overleveraging, i.e. taking multiple loans using different IDs from various lenders and then failing to honour any of them. The consequence? Banks and NBFCs end up with massive NPAs. Data from credit bureaus suggests that over the last quarter, there was a 17.2% rise in the number of borrowers who had 5 or more active loans at the same time. <h2>Growth &gt; Caution</h2>It's an age-old tale unfolding yet again in India’s banking sector- Icarus flew too close to the sun and eventually, fell to its death. Between April and June 2024, NBFCs microfinance portfolio jumped by 2.7%. If you see this in terms of loan sources, microfinance loans issued by banks grew by 11.2% in Q1FY25. But the same portfolio in NBFCs swelled by almost double-23.9%. While most of these loans had an average ticket size between Rs 30,000-50,000, there was a sharp spike in the number of loans that had a ticket size of Rs 80,000 or more. Data suggests that as of March 2024, more than 12% of all microfinance borrowers had over 4 or more active loans. In dating parlance, this is a classic case of borrowers going polyamorous, minus the honesty and transparency. Not the best of situations, you'd agree! <h2>Will banks and NBFCs stand up to this stress?</h2>If their results for Q2FY25 are to be believed, NBFCs are not handling the pressure all that well. Or even slightly well. Only a few banks like Bank of Baroda (BoB), ICICI, and Indian Bank were up for the battle, even witnessing a decline in their loan delinquencies. Some others, like IndusInd Bank, saw their stock dip by a massive 16.2% over the last 5 days. Its slippages in the previous quarter burgeoned from Rs 15.3 billion in Q1FY25 to Rs 17.9 billion in Q2. As a result, the bank pushed a staggeringly high amount of money to create an NPA cushion for itself. While its management has highlighted its preference for secured lending, that was hardly reflected in its actions during the quarter, where growth in unsecured personal loans remained exceptionally high at over 7% on a QoQ basis. Turns out, only 44% of customers in IndusInd Banks’ microfinance loan portfolio were exclusive to it. The rest 47% were, you guessed it right-polyamorous! 27% had borrowed from another lender as well, apart from IndusInd Bank, while 20% were those who had outstanding loans with two other lenders, apart from IndusInd Bank. IndusInd Bank’s credit card segment did not miss the NPA bus and accounted for 7-8% of its GNPAs. Canara Bank’s total slippages during the previous quarter jumped to Rs 11.1 billion, up by 24.7% QoQ, and making up for 3.6% of its total loans. As for Bandhan Bank, its gross NPA for Q2FY25 inched up on a QoQ basis, up from 4.23% in Q1, to 4.68% in the second quarter. IDFC Bank’s heavy provisioning for its NPAs marred its profits significantly, causing its PAT (profit after tax) to dip by 73% on a YoY basis. Data from ICRA Analytics suggest that the AUM (asset under management) growth in microfinance loans and unsecured (personal and business) loans by the NBFCs will moderate to 10-12% and 19-21%, respectively, in FY2025 compared to 30% and 38%, in FY2024. Says A M Karthik, Senior Vice President &amp; Co-Group Head, Financial Sector Ratings, ICRA, “As bank funds constitute a larger share in the overall funding of NBFCs, a slower credit flow from banks to the NBFCs will compress their AUM growth. The NBFCs in unsecured and digital lending businesses shall face a higher squeeze in funding compared to others, and the unsecured lending space will continue to be a source of stress in the near term.” There has been uninhibited growth in <keyword id="6051027" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Unsecured-loan" source="Orion">unsecured loan</keyword>s, apart from just the microfinance segment. For instance, Axis Bank’s gross slippages jumped by Rs 4,443 crore, largely thanks to its unsecured business. The same is the case with Yes Bank, which saw 35–40% of its retail slippages emerging from the unsecured loan portfolio. <keyword id="6376194" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kotak-mahindra" source="Orion">Kotak Mahindra</keyword> Bank was also quick to follow Yes Bank’s suit, with around 35%-40% of its slippages coming from credit cards. <h2>How is the road ahead?</h2>While RBI has just cracked its whip and served a warning at the moment, experts at Morgan Stanley believe that more changes (read regulatory lashes) are underway. Moreover, with both festive and wedding seasons underway in our country, unsecured lending might pick up momentum, much to the disdain of the calibrated approach banks have been taking towards it so far. But if the situation doesn't improve, RBI will not waste any time in becoming the typical tyrannical <keyword id="19897820" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bollywood" source="keywords">Bollywood</keyword> headmaster who runs his dominion with an iron fist. However, that's a story for another day. Do you have a topic in mind you'd want a simpler explanation for, or insights or personal experience to share on personal finance and more? Contact us at businessinsider@timesinternet.in.

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Is the lending party over? The dangerous tango of Indian banks with microfinance and unsecured loans

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Simply Put: Is the lending party over? The dangerous tango of Indian banks with microfinance and unsecured loans

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